Tickets For Comic-Con Go On Sale This Weekend ‎

Comic-Con Tickets

Single and four-day ticket packages for the next Comic-Con International in San Diego are set to go on sale online this weekend on a limited basis.

Only those who registered early for the Comic-Con Member ID preferred E- list have been invited to purchase event badges starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, according to U-T San Diego.

Ticket sales for last year's Comic-Con did not go smoothly. The first two attempts to sell tickets for the event ended with only a handful being bought before computer systems were overwhelmed. A third attempt, which spread sales simultaneously over three websites, was more successful, with 1,000 four- day badges being bought online within minutes.

Those on the preferred E-list were sent a link on Wednesday to purchase the badges for this year's event, along with a cautionary note not to share the link information with anyone else. Organizers believe that if the link were shared, several thousand people who did not sign-up for the preferred E-list would attempt to access the registration system.

This year's Comic-Con is scheduled for July 12-15. Single-day badges to this year's convention range from $23 to $40. Four-day badges are $175.

Comic-Con began as a modest comic book fair in 1970 and has since grown into a premier pop culture extravaganza, with around 125,000 people attending each year. Hollywood has latched onto the event as a marketing tool and regularly uses it to premier films.

Comic-Con has always been held in San Diego despite aggressive attempts by Los Angeles and Anaheim to lure it away. Organizers last year committed to remaining in San Diego until at least 2015.

According to the San Diego Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the event has an annual economic impact of $162.8 million and generates $2.8 million in tax revenues.

Dr. Seuss' Birthday

The 108th birthday of Ted "Dr. Seuss" Geisel will be celebrated Friday with the annual Read Across America event, a birthday party at UC San Diego, and the opening of a film based on one of his most popular children's books.

School district leaders and elected officials will read to students at campuses in the San Diego Unified School District this morning. Read Across America began in 1998, using Dr. Seuss stories to motivate children to read.

UC San Diego, the beneficiary of millions of dollars from Geisel and his widow, Audrey, will hold a birthday party in his honor in front of the campus' main library, which bears his name. The school will serve 2,000 pieces of cake and the Teeny Tiny Pit Orchestra will perform songs from "The Cat in the Hat Songbook."

The library holds about 10,000 items in its Dr. Seuss collection, including original drawings, drafts of manuscripts, books, photos and other memorabilia.

A film based on Geisel's 1971 environmental morality tale, "The Lorax," opens at theaters nationwide today. In the book, a character called the Once-ler narrates the story of the harmful impact brought about by insatiable demand for Truffula trees.

The movie version features the voices of Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Betty White, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms and Rob Riggle.

This afternoon, the Oceanside Civic Center Library will hold a Lorax- themed party in celebration of Dr. Seuss.

Gas Prices

The average price of a gallon of self-serve unleaded gasoline in San Diego County rose for the 37th consecutive day Friday, settling at $4.37.2. That's six-tenths of a cent more than Thursday, 13.8 cents more than at this time last week and 58.9 cents more than a month ago.

San Diego County is just less than 26 cents away from breaking its all- time high average of $4.63, which was set in June 2008.

-City News Service